A whopping 489 episodes of NCIS have aired so far, making it one of the longest-running shows of all time. Any new fan with enough time on their hands will have plenty to enjoy, and so will those aiming for a second round of viewing. Over the years, members of the writers’ room have had to be creative to avoid being repetitive, and it’s impressive just how easily they’ve managed to do it. Most of the plots stem from pure imagination. However, a few episodes are inspired by real cases, an approach that the producers actually intended to stick to when the show premiered.
Actor Mark Harmon, who exited the procedural after 19 seasons in 2021 but remains the most recognizable face, revealed that NCIS was initially pitched to him as a fact-based show. “When I first joined the show, part of what they sold me on was that this was all going to be based on real cases,” Harmon recalled in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. “But pretty soon, it settled into murder-a-week because that’s television, right?” Well, one can understand why there was a pivot to fiction. Limiting the show to true stories would have resulted in a shorter run.
Here are 8 NCIS episodes inspired by real cases.
“Corporal Punishment”
Season 5, Episode 10
A Marine being treated for PTSD escapes the hospital in “Corporal Punishment,” forcing the NCIS team to go on the hunt for him. A huge shocker hits them when they find him: the man was part of a secret super-soldier experiment. The episode mines its ideas from historical programs meant to enhance the endurance and alertness of soldiers, including the Edgewood Arsenal Experiments, where drugs were tested on over 7,000 personnel, and “Go Pills,” used during World War II.
Soldiers Ought to be Human
“Corporal Punishment” is not Captain America (though there are several mindblowing fisticuffs involving the Marine). It’s heavily rooted in realism, with a camera fully devoted to glances, reactions, and tiny gestures. We are reminded that sometimes ethical lines are crossed to win wars, and that the effects are never on the superiors, just the juniors. Viewers will love how frank the episode is in its condemnation of “enhancement” practices. However, it’s a bit tame. The real Edgewood Arsenal Experiments were more horrific, with soldiers exposed to over seven different drugs, triggering national outcry and lawsuits.
“Anonymous Was a Woman”
Season 11, Episode 4
Sergeant Patricia Moreno is found dead in “Anonymous Was a Woman,” but a twist emerges. The Marine died in Afghanistan almost three years ago, and the body belongs to an Afghan illegal immigrant who stole Moreno’s identity to sneak into the US and get military benefits. This mirrors several real-world cases of stolen valor, such as those of Randall J. Montour (from Canada), Mikhail Robin Wicke (from Minnesota), and Richard Meleski (from New Jersey), all of whom pretended to be vets to get benefits.
Fighting for Survival, the Wrong Way
For a great number of viewers, this tale of immigrant suffering must have hit uncomfortably close to home, evoking the affairs of countless people whose situation is dire, but whose suffering many instinctively turn away from. Here, the show easily achieves the double objective of criticizing stolen valor and calling for better migration laws, making it not only appealing to fans of military procedurals but also with a keen interest in the affairs of those whose livelihoods are ruined by war.
“Till Death Do Us Part”
Season 9, Episode 4
In “Till Death Do Us Part,” the season’s primary antagonist, Jonathan Cole, a former member of the clandestine team “Phantom Eight,” plants a bomb at the NCIS headquarters. The act is part of a revenge mission against the Navy due to the death of his son. The case is inspired by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing carried out by Gulf War veteran Timothy McVeigh, who blew up a federal building due to various grievances against the government.
War Heroes Turned Terrorists
As a villain unable to cope with loss, Cole stands out as one of the most intriguing NCIS characters of all time. Extremely vengeful and focused, he gives Gibbs one of his most irksome migraines. However, his actions come nowhere near the severity of the acts committed by Timothy McVeigh. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing is still considered the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. The bombing killed 168 people, injured 685, and destroyed about a third of the federal building, while causing extensive damage in the surroundings. Still, both men are despicable, and their actions remind us that taking extreme measures never pays.
“Requiem”
Season 5, Episode 7
When a woman asks for his help regarding her Marine ex-boyfriend stalking her, the team starts looking into the man’s affairs, only to find him dead. Additionally, they find out he was under investigation after he and two other Iraq War veterans were suspected of stealing $4 million of aid money. A Forensic Audit Report for Iraqi War funds lists several instances of embezzlement, including one where a U.S. Army Captain confessed to stealing approximately $690,000 while he was deployed in Iraq.
Erasing Years of Great Work With a Crime
Movies and official reports keep emphasizing the fact that servicemen might enjoy fighting for their country, but they tend to be chronically miserable and unsatisfied, because of poor remuneration. Some accept the situation as it is, others, like the NCIS character and the U.S. Army Captain, dip their hands where they shouldn’t. Something needs to be done about the situation. In the meantime, the procedural does what it’s supposed to. Unlike many other military-themed shows that rarely condemn the actions of the servicemen, even when the misdeeds are pretty obvious, the show paints the thieves as villains, going as far as to suggest alternative noble actions they should have taken.
“Yankee White”
Season 1, Episode 1
The plot of the pilot, “Yankee White,” involves terrorists attempting to assassinate POTUS aboard a backup Air Force One. During this period, a U.S. Navy Commander assigned to temporarily be the carrier of the “nuclear football” during the trip dies, putting the device at risk. The incident is partially inspired by an attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life outside the Washington Hilton, during which the military aide carrying the nuclear football was knocked to the ground and temporarily lost the briefcase.
The Key to America’s Greatest Weapon
The nuclear football dates back to the final years of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, when it became a key instrument for emergency aggression in the period of an impending war or as a last resort. The idea that a designated military aide should accompany a traveling president with a briefcase was proposed by the White House naval aide Edward L. Beach Jr. In the NCIS episode, the football is recovered rather quickly, as was the case during the attempted Reagan assassination. One detail the show leaves out is a card known as the “biscuit,” containing codes needed to initiate attack orders. Reagan was famously separated from the “biscuit” as he was being rushed to the hospital.
“Shell Shock”
Season 10, Episode 6
A Marine Lieutenant who recently returned home from the Middle East is found dead in “Shell Shock.” The NCIS team’s investigations lead them to the victim’s friend, Marine Captain Joe Wescott, who is suffering from PTSD and sympathetic to terrorists. A few similar cases involving vets have occurred in real life, including the case of Yonathan Melaku, a former Marine Corps reservist who was captured in 2011 with a backpack full of explosive-making material and found guilty of having fired on military buildings.
Patriotism Should Come First
It is common to believe sincerely in a cause but at the same time be utterly misguided. Such is the obvious subtext in “Shell Shock.” Like Yonathan Melaku, the actions of Marine Captain Joe Wescott bring attention to the plight of veterans. War can leave someone so mentally damaged and disgruntled that they choose to do the most unthinkable of things. But unlike Melaku, Westcott isn’t beyond redemption. He eventually chooses to do the right thing by helping the agents track down a terrorist. On the other hand, Melaku was sentenced to a quarter-century behind bars.
“Under the Radar”
Season 11, Episode 3
Navy lieutenant Terence Keith, who wanted to be a fighter pilot but was washed out of flight training, becomes overwhelmed by disappointment in “Under the Radar”. He thus purchases over 200 pounds of C4 explosive and rents a STOL plane, aiming to bomb the U.S.S. Benjamin Franklin, an aircraft carrier that is also carrying several of his successful classmates. He later commits suicide without going through with the act. The plot is inspired by the study “Deaths Attributed to Suicide among Enlisted U.S. Armed Forces Recruits, 1980-2004” by the National Library of Medicine.
The Tough Life of a Trainee
Keith has one of the saddest arcs in the entire show. After watching this foolhardy but ambitious recruit dodge so many obstacles, you’ll find yourself a great deal invested in him emotionally, and yet he dies most heartbreakingly. He never gets the dignity of a kill-off scene. It’s like watching a dark version of Top Gun where Maverick never gets to be one of the best movie pilots. But the training experience can indeed be really frustrating. Like the National Library of Medicine report, ‘Under the Radar” paints a picture of how hopeless and sad one person can be while the rest are having the time of their lives. Do superiors check up on everyone? They should.
“Dead Man Walking”
Season 4, Episode 16
In “Dead Man Walking,” Lieutenant Roy Sanders, a Navy officer from the International Atomic Energy Agency, seeks the help of the NCIS team in investigating his own murder. He’s allegedly been fatally poisoned with radiation for uncovering dirty government secrets. The story is inspired by the Alexander Litvinenko assassination, which had made headlines a year before the episode aired.
Paying the Price for Courage
Roy Sanders’ fate plays out exactly like that of Litvinenko. A self-proclaimed whistleblower, the character enjoys the attention that comes with his work and the privileges of his eminent societal status. But as he digs and reports, the number of people who feel offended by the supposedly unflattering manner in which they’ve been depicted increases. Undaunted, he defends his work, declaring his intent to portray what he sees, never caring whether it will lead him to pariahdom. But despite the story’s mournful tenor, the bits of repartee between the dying character and the investigators give us hope. Even in the face of cruelty, there is a reason to smile.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
